Huntington GOP Chair Blasts North Shore Leader for Politically Driven Misinformation and Vendetta, Demands Transparency from Grant Lally

Huntington Republican Committee Chairman Thomas McNally is calling out The North Shore Leader and its de facto publisher, Grant Lally, for orchestrating a politically motivated misinformation campaign targeting Town Supervisor Ed Smyth. The newspaper has published a series of anonymously authored, unsourced articles—under the byline “Leader Staff”—intended to smear Smyth and bolster his GOP primary opponent, Brooke Lupinacci.

“Grant Lally is manipulating the editorial voice of The North Shore Leader to advance his personal political agenda,” said McNally. “This is not journalism. It’s a political attack machine cloaked as a newspaper.”

Lally has claimed he is not the publisher of The North Shore Leader, yet the newspaper explicitly identifies Lally Communications, Inc. as its publisher. According to public records, the sole owner of Lally Communications Inc. is Ute Wolff Lally—a retired Justice and currently a Judicial Hearing Officer (JHO) with the Supreme Court, Nassau County. Despite her official ownership, it is Grant Lally who appears to direct the paper’s editorial content, raising serious concerns about transparency and accountability in its operations.

Conflict of Interest and Campaign Interference

Lally not only influences the paper’s editorial slant—he also personally gathered 169 petition signatures to place Lupinacci on the ballot against Supervisor Smyth. He has since used his media platform to promote her candidacy and attack Smyth through misleading coverage.

Debunking the False Narratives

Among the most egregious falsehoods are claims that:

• Huntington is experiencing an “unprecedented wave” of mass apartment construction.
• The Melville Town Center proposal would lead to overdevelopment.

These assertions are demonstrably untrue. Under Supervisor Smyth’s leadership:

• The Town has enacted stricter apartment regulations.
• Large-scale residential projects have been blocked.
• The Melville proposal is aimed at revitalizing a commercial corridor, not residential sprawl.

Call for Ethical Journalism

Citing the Society of Professional Journalists’ Code of Ethics, Chairman McNally emphasized that legitimate journalism must:

• Clearly identify sources to build public trust;
• Disclose and avoid conflicts of interest;
• Label commentary as opinion, not misrepresent it as fact.

Demands from the Huntington GOP

Chairman McNally and the Huntington Republican Committee are demanding that The North Shore Leader:

1. Disclose the authors behind recent anti-Smyth articles;
2. Admit Grant Lally’s editorial influence and political involvement;
3. Cease the publication of politically motivated disinformation and recommit to responsible journalism.

“If Mr. Lally wishes to serve as a campaign operative, he should leave the newsroom behind,” said McNally. “The people of Huntington deserve a fact-based press—not a partisan echo chamber.”